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Talarman Songsteel
Family History and Early Childhood Talarman was born into the noble Songsteel family in the Kingdom of Alterac. When he was a boy, he learned of the fall of Stormwind from his father, Huxtran, who immediately began to agitate in official circles for the principality to join in the Alliance being formed by the Stormwind refugees. Unfortunately, his attempts were unsuccessful, and when the Horde came to Lordaeron, Huxtran grew frustrated at the lack of commitment from the Alterac nobility, and raised a regiment out of his own pocket to aid in the battle against the orcish Horde. He led his regiment into many battles, and had just returned home to drum up further support when word came of Terenas' betrayal. Huxtran was barely able to rescue his family from the battle that followed. Acceptance into the Silver Hand and the Third War Following the end of the Second War, Huxtran and his family wandered the Eastern Kingdoms, penniless and disinherited. Through a stroke of luck, Huxtran was able secure commissions for his sons Talarman and Talarmore in the Silver Hand, which improved the family's lot significantly. When the Scourge invaded Lordaeron a few years later, Talarman was far enough along in his studies that he was sent to fight the onslaught. His group was sent to aid the Darrowshire militia in its stand against the Scourge. A short time into the battle, it became apparent that the intrepid group would not last long. Talarman and his fellow student, the Dwarf Ravig Firelocks, were sent in search of remnants of the Lordaeron military, or supplies, to aid in the fight. While searching, Darrowshire fell, and the two fled south, eventually linking up with the Stromgarde military, where they served out the remainder of the war. Service with the Argent Dawn Following the containment of the Scourge, Talarman and Ravig joined the newly formed Argent Dawn, and spent the majority of the next few years patrolling the Plaguelands. It was during one of these patrols that he met his wife, the Draenei paladin Shior. While she was traveling with a group of aspiring Argents to Light's Hope Chapel, they came under attack by a large group of Scourge. All but Shior had fled or fallen under the weight of the attack, but a timely intervention from Talarman and Ravig saved her life. Not before she was wounded herself, however. Talarman was able to withdraw the poisons from her wound, and then returned with her unconscious body to Light's Hope Chapel. Some months later, a fully recovered Shior joined their patrol group. The two became almost inseparable, and the relationship progressed quickly. The Northrend Campaign When the threat from Arthas emerged in Northrend, Talarman, Shior, and his brother Talarmore were among those chosen to form the new Argent Crusade. They travelled to Northrend, and had many bloody adventures throughout the continent. During the course of the campaign, Talarman and Shior decided to be wed, but the Crusade would not give them leave to hold a proper ceremony, so a hasty pairing was performed in Dalaran while the pair were en route to an attack on Naxxramas, and their marriage remained unconsummated for well over a month. Their battle group was divided when the time came for the assault on Icecrown Citadel. Talarmore and Shior were sent to assist in the assault on the Pit of Saron, while Talarman played a critical role in the assault on the Citadel proper, taking part in the battle against Deathbringer Saurfang, thus securing a foothold in the fortress. Following the fall of Arthas, the Songsteels grew disenchanted with the Argents. Tirion Fordring took full credit for the success of the Argents, though he was nowhere to be found in the early years when a scattered few had held the line against the might of the Scourge. His blustering and arrogance rubbed on all three of the Songsteels, all of whom had questioned the legitimacy of Tirion's order that all former members of the Silver Hand return and swear allegiance to the Argents. Their annoyance was made worse when survivors of the battle against Arthas reported that Tirion had spent the entire battle encased in a block of ice, a far cry from the well circulated tale that Tirion had won the battle almost singlehandedly- a claim never exactly made by Tirion, but not one he denied either. After some heated exchanges with higher ranking Argent officers, Talarman, Shior, and Talarmore resigned from the Crusade, and returned to Stormwind, where they were able to use the rewards of their adventures to purchase a family home in the Cathedral District of Stormwind, where his father and mother now live in retirement. Service with the Stormwind Silver Hand After the lost continent of Pandaria was revealed, Talarman, Shior, and Talarmore joined the Stormwind Archchapter of the Silver Hand with great joy, intending to finish what they had started before the Third War. Four separate knights departed the order after agreeing to take Talarman on as a squire so that he could finish his knighthood. As a result, he grew frustrated, and resigned the order as well. A Period of Fluctuation In the wake of his departure, Talarman learned of an Argent affiliated order, the Aegis of Light, who was in the midst of tracking down a cult in the Western Plaguelands. The Songsteel family all sought to join the Aegis, under Dilan Ravenshield, and were accepted. They lent their experience in the Plaguelands to the order, as well as their individual strengths and talents, until the order was disbanded some months later. Following the end of the Aegis of Light, Talarman served briefly with the Grand Alliance Vanguard, until a disagreement with the head of the Vanguard drove him to depart. After the departure, Talarman encountered a friend of his from the Silver Hand, Sir Kuth Anner, who was now serving with the First Regiment. After a brief discussion, Kuth persuaded Talarman to join this order, which was seeking to strengthen its paladin corps at the time. Unfortunately, his time spent with the regiment was shortened following a series of disagreements that found Talarman and Kuth on one side, and another paladin on the other. Rather than engaging in lengthy arguments and fighting the other paladin every step of the way, Talarman resigned from the regiment, and again found himself and his family orderless. Return to the Stormwind Silver Hand After a short period, Talarman met with Shior and Talarmore, and discussed their options. Following a short conversation, the decision was made to attempt a return to the Silver Hand. Talarman contacted a clergyman who was a prominent member of the order at the time about the possibility of a return. The clergyman, Bishop Caspius Greenleaf, spoke favorably of the possibility, and suggested that Talarman contact the head of the order, Lord Tenevus Stromheart. After a brief meeting, Lord Stromheart agreed to accept Talarman back into the order, and allow him to retain credit for the two trials he had already completed. In short order, Talarman had completed his aspirancy, and was awarded the rank of knight. He participated in a number of expeditions and errands for the order, and immediately set to training aspirants, with the intent of ensuring that as few as possible would suffer the same fate as he had during his previous time with the Silver Hand. A short time later, his wife Shior was also knighted, having completed her training under her fellow draenei, and friend of the family, Dame Vandrasi. A Master of the Forge Additionally, he began assisting in the managing of the Silver Hand's supply and banking operations, which he had also done while being mentored by Sir Kuth during his previous time with the order. After a relatively short period, Talarman was promoted to the rank of Forgemaster, essentially putting him at the head of all financial transactions for the order, as well as giving him the responsibility of ensuring that the arms rooms remained fully stocked, and that all Silver Hand operations were properly supplied. Being that this was an officer position, he also soon found himself assisting in the induction of new members of the order, as well as a master of ceremonies of sorts, organizing and running a number of knightings and pairing ceremonies for the Silver Hand. During this same period, the Songsteel family took into their home a troubled young priest, named Qienna Slade. Qienna stayed with them for some time, and became a close friend of the family. She went on to be adopted by the Olethos family, making her Qienna Olethos, and is now a prior of the church. She remains a close friend of the Songsteel family, and can frequently be found collaborating with them on work for the Order. Talarman led a total of six knights from aspirancy to knighthood during his time with the Stormwind Silver Hand, and assisted in the partial training of two more. Additionally, he wrote a book on the first of the Three Virtues, titled "Respect as a Virtue". He was appointed, rather fittingly, to the position of Master Paladin of Respect, in recognition of his service to the Silver Hand and the Church of the Light. Through the Dark Portal During his time as an officer, the order faced the threat of the Iron Horde, and marched through the Dark Portal to face the fel-tainted orcs on the other side. While there, Talarman led a highly successful campaign against the Iron Horde in Shadowmoon Valley, which culminated in an attack on Anguish Fortress. This attack consisted of a three pronged assault involving the Draenei of Te'Amun and elves of Aeriyth Dawnsorrow's Highguard, and resulted in the rescue of Tenevus Stromheart, then the head of the chapter. Challenges to his leadership in the immediate aftermath of the final action of the campaign arose, however, due to an attempted suicide bombing by the orcish commander of the fortress. Because of this, incident, Talarman found himself subject to an investigation by the Council of Bishops due to political maneuvering by a previously disgraced member who was seeking to regain his former prominence. While the charges were eventually dismissed as a misunderstanding caused by the fog of war, bad blood was nonetheless formed between Talarman and several key members of the Stormwind church. A Growing FamilyCategory:Human During the time spent with the Stormwind chapter, Shior became pregnant with their first child. A few months before the birth, they were introduced to a young girl named Nancy, who had been rescued by the order from abuse and captivity in Westfall. Under normal circumstances, a girl her age would have been placed in the Silver Hand Orphanage, but when her mental trauma, and stunted emotional growth were taken into account, it was clear that she could not be consigned to such a place, and that constant care would be needed to ensure she could eventually lead a normal life. In order to see that come to pass, the Songsteels formally adopted young Nancy, and are now working to repair the damage wrought upon her by her captors. A short time after adopting Nancy, the Songsteels welcomed a baby boy into the family. They named him Rakir Andrew, the former being a Draenic name meaning "Light-bringing," and the latter meaning "warrior". The Lordaeron Silver Hand In 623 KC, Talarman was prompted by the Light to travel north, and establish a new chapter of the Silver Hand in Lordaeron. Given the high visibility of such an undertaking, and the uproar such a project could potentially cause, Talarman did not even speak of the matter to anyone for months. There would inevitably be questions of whether he was so prideful as to think he could compare to The Lightbringer, or any other heroes of the faith, of his ability to lead, his fitness to lead, his link to the land, etc. When he finally did speak of it, it was first to his wife, Shior, who pledged her support immediately. Over time, he confided in several spiritual authorities, and was surprised to find how willing several of the Council of Bishops were to support a refounding of that order. After gaining additional support from several officers and knights of the Stormwind Silver Hand, he gathered those who had pledged themselves to the order, and headed north to Tyr's Hand. There, with the support of Bishop Niklos Adamant, and the backing of the Council of Bishops, he organized efforts to support Alliance operations throughout the sundered lands of the former Alliance power broker, all in the hopes of eventually re-establishing the kingdom. Several months after establishing the order, a crusade was called by Archbishop Alonsus Secundus to extract revenge from the Horde for a variety of transgressions. The crusade was a controversial one, however, and many of the orders affiliated with the Council of Bishops did not answer the call. Talarman's chapter did, however, and while the main body of the crusade marched west from Arathi, fighting the Horde as they went, his chapter joined forces with Zaria Blackmoore's Alterac chapter. Together they formed a powerful pincer which swept south from Alterac, sacked Tarren Mill, and struck the main Horde body from behind. After uniting with the main body, the crusade pushed into Silverpine Forest, where they met determined Horde resistance. The crusade stalled and was eventually defeated. Talarman's chapter suffered heavy losses, from which it never recovered. It disbanded a few months later. The Remnant After the disbanding of the chapter, Talarman and his wife served under Cardinal Niklos Adamant in his newly formed Remnant of Lordaeron, continuing the work he had begun with his chapter. They remained there for several months, but had a number of minor disputes with the officers of the order, which drove them to seek greener pastures. The Brotherhood of Clemency Those pastures would be found with the founding of the Brotherhood of Clemency by a number of clergy previously affiliated with the Council of Bishops. Chief among these were Nelany Faersong and Qienna Songsteel, Talarman and Shior's close friend and now sister in law, who enthusiastically welcomed them into the order. There they resumed mentoring squires, though this largely required they leave Lordaeron behind, and spend most of their days within the realm of Stormwind. They remained with the Brotherhood for several months, until the order came under political pressure and abruptly disbanded. Another Addition While with the Brotherhood, Talarman and Shior added yet another to their growing family, a daughter named Lily Aman, the former meaning "Pure" and the latter being a Draenic name meaning "Favour of Grace". A Home for the Family A number of the members of the Brotherhood were merged into Zaria Blackmoore's chapter, which had since expanded beyond a simple Silver Hand organization and into a full fledged state overseeing a significant portion of the former kingdom. There they were reunited with an old friend, Sir Shindo Malphur, whom they had known since their days in the Stormwind chapter, and whom Talarman had jokingly christened "Sir Sillyhelm". During their time with the order, Talarman received permission to re-settle his family's lands in the valley northeast of Strahnbrad. Together with Shior, they oversaw the repair of Der Steelhaus, the manor at the center of Castle Songsteel, the small fortress at the heart of the estate. During this time, they also welcomed five families to settle the land, among them their old Argent compatriot, Ramil Firelocks, who estabished a mill near the manor for the processing of the crops raised on the estate. The Legion Strikes Talarman and Shior took part in many adventures within Alterac, as well as in the order's military operations against the Legion on the Broken Isles, where the duo were frequently called upon to scout Legion positions, and conduct harassing raids along the enemy's axis of advance to slow their progress and cause general irritation among the demonic throngs. On several occasions, they also helped form the spearhead of major actions against the Legion, in particular after the front shifted to Argus. They distinguished themselves in all areas in which they served, helping contribute to the eventual victory over the Legion. A Perennial Foe Throughout their time with Blackmoore's military, they and clashed regularly with members of the Forsaken, who frequently intruded upon the mountainous lands of the state. Never a friend of the Horde, Talarman and Shior grew increasingly outspoken in favor of open military action against the forces of Sylvannas Windrunner, especially as storm clouds began to gather, suggesting a coming confrontation between the Alliance and the Horde. After a series of disagreements with certain prominent members of Alterac society, Talarman and Shior resigned from the martial order to seek an organization with tenets more in line with their own. The War of Thorns Interestingly enough, shortly after their resignation, they were contacted by now Cardinal Adamant, who invited them to return to his Remnant. The officers with whom Talarman and Shior had disagreed with had departed, and the order was seeking to re-build. They eagerly accepted the invitation, and were almost immediately swept up in the lightning strike against Darnassus by Sylvannas Windrunner's Horde. Assigned to the Alliance relief effort, they arrived in Darkshore too late to make a difference in the fighting, and watched from the beach as Teldrassil burned. They returned to the Eastern Kingdoms in time to take part in the Alliance response, taking part in the initially successful assault on Lordaeron. Following Sylvannas' gassing of the ruins, the duo took part in a series of skirmishes against the remaining Horde forces as they retreated through Silverpine Forest before rejoining the Remnant as it prepared to take part in the coming war.Category:Silver Hand Chapter Category:Order of the Silver Hand Category:Paladins Category:Characters Category:Lordaeron Silver Hand Category:Brotherhood of Clemency Category:Alteraci Category:Human Category:The Citrine Eagle Category:Remnant of Lordaeron